The present invention relates to conveyor systems, and more particularly, a conveyor system having two continuously moving conveyors for moving load carrying units therealong with a device for selectively moving load carrying units from one conveyor to the other without stopping either one of the conveyors.
Conveying systems are typically used in manufacturing facilities to move workpieces through workstations located along a conveying path.
Conveying systems known to me for moving workpieces from workstation to workstation include conveyors which generally move at a constant speed and include load carrying units which can be coupled for movement therewith between workstations and uncoupled from the conveyor so that they will be stationary at the workstations while work is done on a workpiece carried by the load carrying units. Examples of patents directed to such conveying systems include U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,702; U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,869; U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,740; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,285.
Further, known conveyor systems also include two or more conveyors which are used to move load carrying units to different locations in a manufacturing facility. It is a problem to move load carrying units from one conveyor to another conveyor without stopping the conveyors.